Controlling mechanism for boats.



E. HEFTY & A. B. LAMBERSON. GONTROLLING MECHANISM P011 BOATS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 15, 1911.

M//Wes @s TED srarns .PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD narra' AND ALFRED n. LAMBEBSQN, 0F Pommern, cannon.

coNraoLmNe' Mechanism ron Boers.

incarica.

Spccication of liet-ters Patent.

Patented. Nov. 21, 191i.

Application led April 15, 1911. Serial No. 621,413.

This invention relates to controlling mechanism for boats, and more particularly to a mechanism by means of which the use of air or other fluid for. operating either the throttle, orthe reverse lever, o' the engine of a boat, or for operating the steering mechanism thereof, is made possible and 1 practicable, this makes it possible to carry the control of-one or all of these mechanisms from the engine room, or the lower apartments of the boat, to the pilot house thereof, and to place it under the` direct charge of the pilot, so as to do away with the necessity of his signaling to the engineer or other attendant in the lower portion of theboat every time a change is desired in the maniplilation of the various` mechanisms of the oat.

To provide improved mechanism whereby this is made possible, is the principal object of this invention, and inasmuch as the mechanism for thus controlling and manipulating the reversing lever of the engine is the same as that which would be used for manipulating the throttle of the engine, or for operating the steering mechanism of the boat, we will describe but one construction; it being understood that .the device described can be adapted to the reverse lever, to the throttle of the engine, or to the rudder or steering mechanism of the boat.

The invention will be readily' understood from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in Which,-

Figure 1 is a side elevation of one embodiment of the invention, with the parts shown in section. Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Referring now to the drawings, A designates a controller, adapted to be located in the pilot house of a boat, to be manipulated by the ilot, while B designates an operatingcylmder, adapted to be located` n the engine room, or lower apartment of the boat, in such position-as will be most convenient for attaching its piston-rod to the reverse lever,"to the throttle of the engine, or to the steering mechanism, as the case may be.i

The controller Acomprises a cylinder or chamber, provided in`its bottom, in the presyent construction, with outlets or openings,

1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, the vopenings 1 and i3-being connected with the pipes 6 and 7 which run to and are' connected, respectively, with the opposite ends of the operating cylinder B, wherever it may be located, while thev open-f` ing 2 connects with a discharge pipe 8, which may be extended to any position desired. The opening 4 connects with a pipe 9 which leads to and connects with a bypass or centering `device 10,)mounted upon the cylinder B, while the o ening 5 discharges through the bottom o the controller 8 into the open atmosphere. Formed in the bottom of the controller A, is a short curved groove or channel 11 over the opening 5,

j, for `a purpose hereinafter described.

Mounted upon the bottom of the cylinder A is a valve plate 12, having formed in its under 'side a circumferentially extending groove or channel 13. Openings 14, 15 and 16, 17l are formed through said valve plate at opposite ends of the groove, as indicated in Fig. 4, the groove on the under side of said plate being indicated in dotted lines. The opposite side of said plate is provided on its under side with an irregular shaped groove or channel, as 18, with two openings 19 and 20 formed through the valve plate 12. The valve plate 12 ts tightly upon the bottom of the controller A, and is adapted to be turned by means of a shaft 21, carrying an operating handle 22. A collar 23 is mounted upon said shaft immediately beneath the top of the controller 'Ai A coiledspring 24 upon the shaft 21 bears, at lts' Referring now to the operating cylinder B, we provide a piston and piston rod 25, the rod of which is adapted to be connected, as through a link 26, to the mechanism which is to beoperated. In the present showing we have connected it to a lever 27, shown at the center position in full lines and at oppov site extremes in dotted lines. Mounted upon the operating cylinder B is a centering device 10 Which provides a by-pass from an opening 28 through the Wall of the cylinder to'an opening 29 through the wall of the cylinder, said by-pass being provided with a valve member 30 mounted With the casing o the centering device 10 and adapted to be moved longltudinally, and against the tension of a spring 31, by the admission of a fluid, under pressure, through the pipe 9 into the end of the casing. Said valve member, it will be noticed, by reference to Fig. 3, is reduced in diameter, as at 32, so that When said member is inserted longitudinally, the reduced portion enters the bypass and opens it. With the by-pass opened, it will be understood that the pressure in the opposite ends of the cylinder is equalized and the piston remains on center, in the position shown in Fig. 1. The operating fluid, being air in the present instance, is admitted to the cylinder A from any suitable source through the pipe 33,`and its admission through the openings 1 and 3 and the pipes 6 and 7 to the opposite ends of the cylinder B, and also its admission to the centering device 10, is controlled by the different positions of the valve plate 12, which is operated through the shaft 21 and the handle 22. y

The operation of the device may be described as follows: Assuming that air under pressure lls the controller A with the valve plate 12 resting in the position indicated in Fig. 4, all passage Ways through the bottom of said controller Would be closed, and the openings, l and 3, with their pipes 6 and 7, would be in communication through the groove 13, in the underside of the valve plate 12, with. the opening 2, and the discharge pipe 8. The openings 14, 15, 16, 17, 19 and 20 throughhthe valve member 12 would also .be closed, While the outlet 4, through the pipe 9, would be in communication with the groove or'channel 18, and through the short groove 11 with thje outlet opening 5. With the valve member in this position, it Will be noticed that there is no open outlet from the controller'A, vWhile both ends of the cyl- `inderA B and the pipe 9 are open to the atmospheric pressure. Assuming now that the valve plate 12 is turned to the right so as to bring the opening 16 in the valve memopening 3`in the bottom of the controller, air Would be admitted through the pipe 7 to the right end of the cylinder B, While the left end of the cylinder B, through the pipe 6the groove 13 in the valve member 12 the opening 2, and pipe 8, would be open to the atmosphere. The opening 19 in said valve member 12 would be in register with the opening 4 in the bottom of thev cylinder and in communication With the pipe 9 to the centering device 10. In this position, it Will be seen that the admission of air to the right end of the cylinder B would move the piston to- Ward the left until it passed the opening'28, in cylinder B, whereupon the'by-pass, being open would cause an equalizing of the pressure Within the cylinder and cause the piston to .stop in the positionshown in Fig. 1. The movement of the valve member 12 in the opposite direction, and to the same extent, would operate to move the piston from the opposite or left end of the cylin-l der to said middle position. The continued movement of the valve member 12 to the right sofas to bring its opening 17 into register With the opening 3, in the bottom of the controller, would admit air under pressure through said openings 17 and 3 and the pipe 7 to the right end of the cylinder B, and leave the opposite end, through the opening 1, the groove 13, the opening 2 and the pipe 8, open to the atmosphere. It Would also put the opening 4, to the centering device, 10 in communication with the grooves 18 and 11, and the outlet 5, thus releasing the valve 32, leaving the by-pass in the centering device 10 closed. The piston Would then be moved to the eXtreme left end. Any pressure in the pipe 9 Would be relieved through the groove or channel 18, in the underside of the valve member 12, which would be in communication vwith the end of the short groove 11, in the bottom of the controller A,

and through this groove to the outlet 5, thus bringing the valve member of the centering device to atmospheric`pressure and insuring the closing of the by-pass so that the piston must move to the extreme left end of the cylinder B. It will be understood that movement of the valve member 12 inthe opposite direction tothe same extent would cause a movement of the piston to the eX- treme right end of the cylinder B. The first movement of the valve member 12 herein described, Would bring the opening 16 thereof in register with the opening 3, or if in the opposite direction, Would bring the opening 14 in register with the opening 1, and Would cause the piston to move from either end toward the center, and by reason of the fact that the opening 19 or 20, as the case may be, would be in register with pipe 9 leading to the centering-device, the valve in said centering device Would be moved, and the bypass opened, with the result that the piston would stop on center, as before described.` The contined movementinI either direction, as hereinbefore described, would close the passage Way to the valve of the centering device, thereby leaving the by-pass closed,

and would causel the piston to move to the extreme end of the cylinder, as before described.

It Will be seen from the foregoing description that a very simple and practical means for controlling the movement of a A reversing lever, a throttle, or of the steering 'mechanism by means of compressed air or other suitable Huid is made possible, and also that means is provided whereby the pilot or operator can prevent a full stroke of the piston within the cylinder, and a con-l sequent reversal of the member being moved, by reason of the fact that a certain movement of the controller handle brings into operation a centering device and stops the `ovement of the piston at the central position, from which it can be moved in either direction b the simple manipulation of the controller andle. While we have'shown and described but one embodiment of the invention, we are aware that changes and modifications can be vmade in the construction thereof and in its application, .without departing from the sp-irit of the invention, and we do not therefore, limit the invention to the particular showing made for purpose of illustrating.

We claim: l. lin a controlling mechanism for boats', the combination with a source of fluid under pressure, of a controller, an operating cylinder with pistn and piston rod moving therein, means connecting said piston rod with the member to be moved, connecting pipes between said controller and the opposite ends of said cylinder, valve mechanismI for controlling .the admission of Huid to said cylinder, and means for opening communication between the opposite ends of said cylinder for the 'purpose of equalizing the pressure in the opposite ends thereof, said means being con- "rolled from the controller. A 2. lin a controlling mechanism for boats, the combination with a source of air under pressure, of a controller adapted to receive air under pressure, an operating cylinder /with piston and piston rod moving therein,

. vpipe connections between said controller and sie .source of air under pressure, a controller connecting open said by-pass at will, for the purpose described. l

Il. ln combination with a controlling mechanism for boats, comprising a con- .troller, an operating cylinder with piston connected'with the member to be moved and pi es between said controller and said cylln er, a stopping device in connection with said cylinder, providing a 1 valved by-pass between the opposite ends of said cylinder, whereby-to equalize the pressure therein on the opposite sides i of said piston and to stop said piston shortuof a full stroke in either direction, and operating connections from said controller to said stopping device.

5. A controlling mechanism for boats and the like, comprising in combination with a source of operating fluid under pressure, of a controller adapted to receive said fluid, an operatin cylinder with piston and piston rod movlng thereinand adapted to bev con nected to the member to be moved, supply pipes from said controller to the opposite ends` of said cylinder, said cylinder being provided with a by-pass intermediate its ends, a fluid pressure-operated valve for said lby pass a supply pipe from said controller to said valved by-pass, whereby to move the valve and open said by-pass at will, a valve member in said controller adapted to control the admission of said fluid tosaid supply pipes whereby, at the will of the operator,

to supply air to either end of said cylinder for movin the'piston-from one end thereof to the ot er, or to said valved by-pass, whereby to move the valve and to open the by-pass so as to equalize the pressure 1n said cyllnder, for the u ose described.

' Signed at Portlanld Oregon, this 3rdy day of April, 1911.

EDWARD HEFTY. ALFRED B. LAMBERSON.

In the presence of FLORENCE J ENNINGS. W. A.- BURKE. 

